The Willys-Overland Jeepster was an evolution of the original Jeep designed for military use. After WWII, Willys-Overland, Jeep’s parent company, launched the CJ (civilian Jeep) line of vehicles in an attempt to offer a mass-market version of its military Jeep. However, the company quickly realized that there was also a market for a vehicle with the rugged design characteristics of the original Jeep combined with some of the luxuries found in modern cars of the time. In 1948 the Jeepster was introduced.